


Meet Me on the Other Side

by Checoyourself



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Black Mirror AU, M/M, Mentions of a Car Crash, minor mention of death, san junipero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 08:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13096179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Checoyourself/pseuds/Checoyourself
Summary: For anyone who hasn't seen the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror, this may not make 100% sense, but I can provide a brief explanation at the end if anyone is interested! Please enjoy!





	Meet Me on the Other Side

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheFlirtMeister](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFlirtMeister/gifts).



Sebastian adjusted his sunglasses and rested his arm on the side of his convertible. He was cruising along the open road, not looking at the speedometer. He could feel how fast he was going, and it didn’t really matter, anyway. He had seen plenty of car crashes here, but none of them really mattered. He knew eventually even driving this car wouldn’t feel like anything. He had heard the warnings when signing up for this experience, but for the time being, he was just enjoying the returning feelings of sitting in a car like this. The last colors of the sunset were fading as Sebastian drove into town and parked near the local pub. He walked past a booming club with young people pouring in by the carload and shook his head. Not his scene, never was. He nodded at the bartender as he sat down and glanced at the menu. After a few moments, a lager was placed in front of him. 

“Usual, Seb?” 

He nodded a thank you and took a large swig. After ordering and some small talk with the bartender, a group of people from the club next door sauntered in. They were dressed like they belonged at fashion week in New York. Sebastian barely gave them a glance as they strode in and claimed a table near the windows. Probably staking out inebriated women leaving the club. He scoffed at the thought and downed what was left of his beer. Before he could ask for another, one of the club bangers rested his elbows down beside him. 

“It’s been a while, Vettel.” Sebastian’s back straightened. It had indeed been a while. Decades. 

“You know I don’t like to be found.” He smirked back, meeting the eyes of a much younger Lewis Hamilton. He looked just like he did when they were racing. Those were the years. He hadn’t followed up with Lewis’s career after he left Formula One. He didn’t own a smartphone, or even a laptop computer. He enjoyed living life disconnected from everything and everyone except for his family. The irony of him embracing the technology that was keeping his consciousness alive at this point was almost laughable. That was exactly what was on Lewis’s mind. 

“Of all the people to find here, you would be the last, Vettel. You, and maybe Raikkonen.” He laughed. Seb gave a small smile in return.

“I wasn’t ready to give up just yet, and this project was interesting enough to try. They made a convincing argument with the claims of returned mobility.” Lewis nodded knowingly. 

“I’ve actually been here a while. You never heard?” He asked, his smile fading. Sebastian tilted his head to the side in question.

“I lost mobility in my legs after the accident. Driving too fast too late at night, I was so far gone. Flipped the car three times, they told me I was lucky I didn’t lose more. That was only 6 years after retiring. They came to my apartment five years ago with this offer - this promise that I could walk normally again, drive, run. I thought they were crazy, but after some persuading, they brought me here.”

Sebastian looked at him in shock and pity. They clearly had a lot to catch up on. 

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I couldn’t imagine.” He said softly. Lewis shook it off. 

“Enough about my story, what about you? How old are you in there, Vettel?” Sebastian laughed.

“Eighty-seven. I lost mobility in my legs thirteen years ago. I read about this place, and the kids urged me to try it so, here I am.” He said with a sweeping hand gesture. Lewis’s eyes were wide.

“Holy shit, you’re old.” He laughed, lightly jostling Sebastian’s shoulder. He laughed along with him. It had been years since he felt this type of comradery. Someone who understood where he had been, who he was. Lewis looked at him with a sense of longing, he felt it too.

“So, where is Raikkonen? Still hiding out in the Finnish tundra?” Seb looked down at his feet for a moment, swallowed hard.

“Kimi died two years ago. He had no interest in sticking around. You were right about that part.” 

Lewis immediately pulled Seb into a hug without thought. He knew their bond had run deep. 

“That was part of the reason I came here. They warned me when I signed up that if I was here too long I would cease to feel anything at all. They say there are places around here for people like that. My problem was that I was having trouble feeling much at all, so I figured it couldn’t get any worse.”

Lewis looked at Seb, trying to will away the blatant pain on his face.

“Wanna go for a drive?” He offered, getting up and extending a hand to Seb. This was part of the reason he was here. New experiences, but also old comforts. He grabbed Lewis’s hand and followed him out to his flashy purple sports car. He chuckled to himself, he never expected anything less from Lewis. 

“When is your time up?” Sebastian asked as they drove back out to the highway. 

“Midnight”. Lewis responded, hitting the gas and making both men laugh at the thrill of the feeling. 

“We could do this again, you know. I’ll find you.” Seb nodded in agreement. He liked this idea. He looked down at the digital time readout - 11:59pm. He closed his eyes and told Lewis to floor it.

Sebastian woke up with a gasp, eyes wide open. A nurse was already by his side, detaching the two wires stuck to his head. 

“How was your trip, Mr. Vettel?” He asked, helping him into a sitting position in his bed. He smiled.

“Great. I met up with an old friend.” He replied. He grabbed a thin screen off of the table beside his bed and scrolled down to the bottom. It was an electronic consent form. He signed his name at the bottom and set it down, a smile forming on his wrinkled face. The nurse took the screen and nodded approvingly. 

“You’ve decided to become a full-time resident of San Junipero once you pass?” He said, surprised.

“Some things are worth sticking around a little longer.” He answered, mind already racing with possibilities.


End file.
